Sokratis Famelos

The government Thursday pledged to reforest the areas scorched by the devastating wildfire east of Athens early this week.

Alternate Environment Minister Sokratis Famelos told Sto Kokkino radio station that authorities were collecting aerial photos of the burned areas and all available legal data regarding buildings and planning in order to designate the areas for tree-planting.

A plan to overhaul Greece's urban drainage networks and bring them up to European minimum standards was unveiled on Wednesday by Interior Minister Panos Skourletis, Environment Minister Sokratis Famelos, Alternate Economy Minister Alexis Haritsis and the head of the country's Union of Municipalities and Communities (KEDE), Giorgos Patoulis.

A decision published Thursday by Deputy Environment Minister Sokratis Famelos will tog out Greece's forest rangers in new uniforms in a bid to boost their presence.

Alternate Environment Minister Sokratis Famelos announced Wednesday that 150 million euros of available European Union funds will be used for waste management projects in Attica.

A couple sit on a bench at the Antonis Tritsis Environmental Awareness Park in Ilion, western Athens, on Saturday. After years of neglect caused by underfunding, a new master plan, set to be completed by the summer of 2017, promises a new lease on life for Attica's biggest metropolitan park.

The parliamentary committee tasked with investigating bank loans to political parties and media groups is to hold its first meeting at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

The panel comprises of 23 MPs from all the parliamentary parties.

SYRIZA lawmaker Sokratis Famelos will preside over the panel, whose formation was supported by opposition parties and the government.